Do you (like so many of us) struggle to maintain a regular pattern of Bible reading?
At Dundonald, we are a church which longs to grow together in our love and understanding of God. Our hearts yearn for a relationship with our Heavenly Father, and the one thing most capable of growing that relationship is regular time spent in God’s word and prayer. Sometimes this is called a quiet time, or a daily devotional, or just a personal bible study, the challenge to us is simply to spend some time each day reading the Bible and praying. Typically, this will include reading a short passage from the Bible, meditating on that, with or without accompanying notes or commentary and then praying in response to what you’ve heard. However, it can be done in many, many different ways.
This is the first in a series of articles to encourage us all to make personal Bible reading a priority in the daily grind of our lives. Why? Read on and see.
The Bible is our Bread
We read our Bibles regularly because we are utterly dependent on God. We don’t “have to” do it in the sense that someone might criticize us if we don’t or that God will get miffed with us. But we do “have to” in the same way we have to eat food every day. This is how we live.
Moses taught in Deuteronomy 8:3 that in the wilderness God provided the food of manna each day to the Israelites “to teach that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, we need to feed on God’s word every day, just as we need to eat physical food each day. The Bible is living bread, not ice-cream: it is daily sustenance, not a nice treat every once in a while!
The Bible is our Water
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalm 1 warns us that there are competing voices out there that are seeking to shape how we live, and that it is by listening to and rooting ourselves in God’s word that we will know the blessed life. Every day as we talk with colleagues and friends, read the news and watch tv, we are being taught and influenced by the world’s voices. It is wise to listen to God each day too.
Without God’s word in our lives, we too readily get preoccupied with ourselves, our fears, our insecurities, our reputations. Without God’s word we’re so much more vulnerable to temptation. We need God’s word to realign our hearts day by day towards Jesus. We need that medicine for the soul, that battle speech, that love song. And we need it every day.
To find out more, including hugely practical tips, come back to see these future posts (they’ll be linked direct below once posted):
- Different ways of feeding on God’s Word
- Top Tips
- Troubleshooting guide
- How can I do this as a family?
Or do you have tips and advice for what’s working well for you? Why not leave a comment below and encourage us!
More about the author :
